Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Counselors As Advocates For Change In Local Homelessness Discourse: A Content Analysis Of Harrisonburg, Virginia Media, Sarah E. Brown

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Data on homelessness does not reflect the vast numbers of people living without stable housing. Research shows that while the public may feel compassionate towards those without homes, they may also blame and stereotype people experiencing homelessness. Stigmatization can impair public support of policies that would provide the structural change needed to address the housing crisis. Studies have found when media use non-stereotypical examples of people without homes, stigmatization decreases and public support for systemic change increases. Using person-first language and the concept of housing as a moral human right further increase public support. This content analysis examines media in …

Mindfulness Based Approaches With Obese Clients: A Structured Literature Review On The Role Of Mindfulness, Obesity And Weight Management, Cannie G. Campbell

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Mindfulness has been used to improve physical and psychological health in a variety of treatment modalities across the globe. Specifically, the use of mindfulness and mindful-based interventions relevant to those living with obesity has increased dramatically over the past decade, and substantial research is now being conducted in this arena. This paper includes a review of the literature on mindfulness-based interventions and implications for therapeutic use for counselors working with this population.

Counseling Needs Of First Responders, Donna V. Garber

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Abstract

This paper examines the counseling and psychological needs of first responders, as a special population with special needs. It also proposes how counselors can address these needs. Included is a review of relevant literature and concludes with strategies counselors could implement to respond effectively to direct and vicarious trauma experienced by first responders. There is also information related to pre-incident and post-incident care and addresses issues that impact this population’s response to care, ability to seek care, and the overall understanding of what mental health care really means to this group.

Returning To My Trees: Connection To Nature, Wellness And Clinical Practice, Laurel E. Brubaker

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Abstract

The human-nature connection is one that has been undeniably relevant since the earliest conception of the Anthropocene. Early on, this connection was unceasingly tangible and pervasive, confirmed through every aspect of life, but as time has progressed through the process of globalization, technological advancement and urban growth, we have undoubtedly distanced and fragmented this relationship. Numerous studies, across multiple populations and settings, have demonstrated a strong relationship between well-being of individuals and their exposure to nature and nature connectedness/relatedness, with impressive consensus displayed across findings. Connection with nature has been associated with improved holistic wellness, including cognitive, emotional, psychological …

The Impact Of Trauma On The Brain And Body: Alternative Approaches To Treatment, Ashley L. Ahlers

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This project will explore the impact of trauma on the body and mind of an individual, as well as offer alternative approaches to treatment that mental health professionals can integrate into their work with clients. The experience of one or multiple traumatic events can lead to devastating psychological and physiological impairment in a person, and the complexity of trauma can make the symptoms difficult to treat. Many clinicians have found that using traditional approaches as their sole method of treatment may not be enough to create long-lasting, sustainable change. Integrating treatment approaches that address mind, body, and spirit has proven …

Navigating "Technoference" In The Family System, Kathlynn Sergent

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This integrative literature review explores the increase of technology use in families, with a focus on how technology is disrupting in-person social interactions within the family system. Many studies have been conducted on how technology impacts a couple’s romantic relationship, and only a few have examined the relationship between the parent and child. This review is one of the first to examine how technology may affect the entire family unit from before children to raising adolescents. Each section of the family unit is examined, beginning with before children, followed by the early bonding and attachment associated with infant/childhood, and then …

Responding To Crossover Youth: A Look Beyond Recidivism Outcomes, Emily M. Wright, Ryan E. Spohn, Michael Campagna

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Crossover youth are involved in both child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) promotes collaboration between these systems to inform decision making between the two agencies and better serve these youth. Yet, few outcome evaluations of the CYPM exist, especially those that assess outcomes beyond recidivism, such as case dispositions, case closure, or placement or living situations. This study examined whether the CYPM (n = 210) decreased recidivism and increased system/case responses and positive outcomes among youth within 9–18 months after the youth’s initial arrest relative to a comparison group of crossover youth ( …

Older, Wiser, And Fiercer: Perspectives Of Middle-Aged And Older Men Who Have Sex With Men On Their Resilience To The Risk And Impacts Of Hiv/Aids, Renato M. Liboro, Charles Fehr, George Da Silva, Lori E. Ross, Paul A. Shuper, Francisco Ibanez-Carrasco, Andrew D. Eaton, Daniel Pugh

Psychology Faculty Research

Roughly forty years since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be the population most at risk of, and most affected by, HIV/AIDS in Canada, the United States, and innumerable low to high income countries worldwide. Despite this, many MSM remain HIV-negative today, and among MSM living with HIV, many have not only survived the clinical and social impacts of HIV/AIDS, but have also thrived, lived full lives, and fiercely advocated for their health care and social service needs.

Temporal Discounting And Sustainable Behaviors, Natalia Piskorski

Theses and Dissertations

An experimental study was conducted (N = 175) to test for differences between thinking about the future and the present when it came to sustainable behavior and attitudes. Previous studies show temporal discounting can be overcome at least in the short term to alter current behaviors; however, there is a gap in the literature in regards to sustainable behaviors. This study used similar techniques to determine whether environmentally protective behavior can be altered by having an individual imagine themselves in the future. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups, a current other, current self, or a future-self group. …

Should The United States Collect Intelligence On Its Close Allies?, Shannon Brophy

Honors Theses

The United States does not collect intelligence against all countries with the same intensity. Members of the so-called Five Eyes alliance—the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand— are believed to be excluded, and allegedly so is the United Arab Emirates. Should this policy continue in today’s unpredictable and fast-changing geopolitical environment? The Five Eyes alliance has given the United States an unmatched level of integration with its allies by increasing intelligence sharing between its members—but does this mean the United States should still not collect intelligence on them? Especially now that the UAE has allegedly been …

A Framework Towards Computational Narrative Analysis On Blogs/Social Media, Kiran Kumar Bandeli

Theses and Dissertations

Social media is widely used to express views and share opinions with others. With the availability of inexpensive and ubiquitous mass communication tools like social media, creating narratives, false information and propaganda is both convenient and effective. Social media users leverage this platform to further their views by framing narratives and participating in online discourse. Almost all events, issues, crises are discussed on social media. Blogs are a good source of data for sociologists and political scientists to gain situational awareness by tracking different opinions, political views, and narratives being shaped. Blogs, unlike other social media platforms, are not regulated …

Population, Environmental Risks, And The Climate Crisis (Percc), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2016, the Population Council began to develop evidence on how to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations to adapt to environmental risks and the effects of extreme climate change. In 2018, the Council expanded this work with the launch of the Population, Environmental Risks, and the Climate Crisis (PERCC) research initiative—which deepens the its mission with a new institutional commitment to improving understanding of the intersection of population and climate sciences. The PERCC initiative generates rigorous research to better understand how climate and the environment impact people, and how people, in turn, impact the climate and their environment. Evidence …

Replenishing Qualities Of Prayer, Morgan A. Kennon

Honors College Theses

Abstract

This study focused on the cognitive realm of self-control, which includes attention control and problem-solving. We used a challenging cognitive task to induce ego depletion, defined as the loss of self-control subsequent to exercising control. After removing students’ self-control in a laboratory setting, we tested whether prayer could possibly replenish lost self-control. Prior research has indicated that prayer may invoke self-control, and religious individuals report higher levels of self-control overall. Although prayer failed to return lost self-control in the current study, results provided additional support for a positive relationship between self-reported religiosity/spirituality and self-control.

The Shape Of Trafficking, Abigail Shifley

Honors Projects

“Much of the popular writing on human trafficking has been anecdotal or sensationalistic, and most scholarly publications are either general overviews of the problem or critiques of the literature” (Weitzer 2014).

A 2017 report estimated 24.9 million people were victims of human trafficking globally. Of those 24.9 million, 71% are women and girls and 25% are under the age of 18. Research on human trafficking is limited, and training is lacking within organizations essential to the fight against human trafficking. Additionally, members of the public are typically ignorant of the true nature of human trafficking, which is multifaceted and much …

“You Feel Like You Belong Nowhere”: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence And Social Identity In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Myriam Denov, Laura Eramian, Meaghan C. Shevell

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Globally, the systematic use of sexual violence in modern warfare has resulted in the birth of thousands of children. Research has begun to focus on this often invisible group and the obstacles they face, including stigma, discrimination and exclusion based on their birth origins. Although sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide has been documented on a massive scale, little research has focused on the relational dynamics between mothers who experienced genocide rape and the children they bore. This paper explores the post-genocide realities of these two under-explored populations, revealing two key tensions in relation to identity-building and belonging. Drawing upon …

The Belt And Road Initiative: China’S Rise, America’S Balance, And Latin America’S Struggle, Garrett Bullock

History Honors Papers

This research attempts to understand the evolving relationship between China, the United States, and Latin America. Specifically, it explores China’s rapid rise as a formidable geopolitical power, the United States’ mixed response to that rise, and efforts by two Latin American countries, Ecuador and Argentina, to avoid exploitation by both China and the United States—and, indeed, to even benefit from this mutating relationship. In all cases, historically constructed ideas and strategic interests shape relations among these various actors. Accordingly, this research lays out the historical sources for each of these powers’ central ideas. Then, it connects those ideas to the …

Anti-Semitism As A Political Tool Of Tyrannical Government, Bailey Gordon, Kimberly Hale

Honors Theses

Anti-Semitism has been a form of hatred and racism among movements and governmental organizations since Babylonian times. It was institutionalized however in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries as a form of political tool to garner support for tyrannical establishments. Although anti-Semitism has been around for centuries, it has been used more recently to rally people in a tribal-nationalistic spirit. As the populace becomes normalized to anti-Semitic beliefs, they eventually become more accepting of a tyrannical government whose policies are rooted in anti-Semitism. To appease the masses, this tyrannical government must then stay in motion. This constant …

A Tale Of Two Statistics: Has Unemployment Among Adults With Disabilities Really Declined?, Jennifer D. Brooks

Population Health Research Brief Series

This data slice describes that although the unemployment rate has declined among both those with and without disabilities, the percentage of working-age adults in both groups who are out of the labor force altogether (i.e., not looking for work or unable to work) is higher than a decade ago.

Tyranny Plagued The French Revolution, Christy Leigh Salinari

Honors Theses

Liberty, equality, and fraternity were the three original pillars of the French Revolution at the start in 1789. The slogan became the rallying cry for the embittered French people in their initial pursuit for political and social transformation. The French Revolution is perhaps the most prominent contemporary illustration of a violent revolution which ultimately was successful, resulting in a model of democratic government. The French Revolution reached a decade in length wherein there were countless demonstrations, massacres, wars, civil unrest, and political enlightenment. The disorganized nature of the revolution cultivated a vast array of political beliefs, which ranged from radical …

President Luxton And Andrews Student Honored At Weniger Society Awards Presentation, Hannah Gallant

Andrews Agenda: Campus News

No abstract provided.

Medically Defined Infertility Versus Self-Perceived Fertility Problem: Implications Of Survey Wording For Assessing Associations With Depressive Symptoms, Michele H. Lowry, A L. Greil, J Mcquillan, A Burch, K M. Shreffler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective: To examine how measures of infertility based on medical criteria and based on self-perception relate to depressive symptoms among women with infertility. Background: Survey-based studies of depressive symptoms have used either measures of self-reported infertility based on meeting medical criteria or measures of self-perceived fertility problems, but seldom both. It is, therefore, not known which type of measure is more closely associated with depressive symptoms. Materials and Methods: Using ordinary least-squares multiple regression, this study compares associations between a measure of meeting medical criteria for infertility and a measure of self-perceived fertility problems with a common measure of depressive …

What Makes Inclusion Work: An Autoethnography On Coordinating An Inclusive Youth Advocacy Program, Megan Price

University Honors Theses

In this autoethnographic thesis, I analyze my observations as the co-coordinator of an inclusive youth advocacy program (YAP) to detail what made inclusion successful, and what was ineffective. I had the unique position of facilitating conversations and workshops around social justice issues and how to advocate using self-expression and art. In this thesis, I will reflect on the Inclusive Education Conference (IEC) in Spring of 2019, and the Summer Summit in the summer of 2019, both in Portland, Oregon. At the IEC some of the observations noted as harmful to inclusion included: people wanting to silence the youth, inclusion being …

Bibliometric Analysis Of The Literature In The Field Of Coronavirus, Jagannathan Ramakrishnan Dr, Govindan Ravi Sankar Dr, Kotti Thavamani Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of the literature in the field of Coronavirus in MEDLINE data which has been covered in PubMed. The study period has been selected from the year 2000 to 2019. It is noticed that 10700 records available in the field of Coronavirus. It has been found that 41.71% of records are Research Support, Non U.S. Gov't, and 30.18% are Journal Articles. The United States is the major publisher in the field of Coronavirus followed by England, Netherlands, China, etc. It shows that 95.14% of the total records were in the English language. Relative Growth Rate …

Hamlet During The Pandemic: To Lock Down, Or Not To Lock Down?, Laila El Baradei

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Cases Studied In Genocide Studies And Prevention And Journal Of Genocide Research And Implications For The Field Of Genocide Studies, Jeffrey Bachman

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

The adoption of the Genocide Convention in 1948 was accompanied by the emergence of genocide as a field of study, first in the form of Holocaust Studies, followed by Genocide Studies, then Comparative Genocide Studies and, most recently, Critical Genocide Studies. Over the last 20-30 years, the field of genocide studies has greatly expanded. According to Alexander Hinton, “As the outlines of the field emerge more clearly, the time is right to engage in critical reflections about the state of the field.” This article seeks to enhance the field of genocide studies by answering Hinton’s call for reflective analysis. It …

"Currency Is A Most Poisonous Tool": State Capitalism, Nonmarket Socialism, And The Elimination Of Money During The Cambodian Genocide, James A. Tyner

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Between 1975 and 1979, the Communist Party of Kampuchea sought to establish a non-monetary and non-market economy. In the process, however, upwards of 1.7 million men, women, and children perished. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the CPK’s decision to eliminate money in its attempt to transform Cambodia’s pre-revolutionary economy into a communist mode of production. First, I provide some general remarks on Marx, money, and markets; the purpose here is to establish a common foundation for readers, in order to properly assess Khmer Rouge monetary policies with those of orthodox reading of Marxism. Second, I position CPK macro-economic …

Book Review: Reluctant Interveners: America’S Failed Responses To Genocide From Bosnia To Darfur, Jeffrey Bachman

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Canaries In The Mineshaft Of American Democracy: North American Settler Genocide In The Thought Of Raphaël Lemkin, Michael Bryant

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Although it is often assumed that Raphael Lemkin’s original concept of genocide related only to Nazi atrocities, in fact the elements of the offense as Lemkin construed it predate his elaboration of genocide in Axis Rule in Europe. It is clear from Lemkin’s published and unpublished writings that he intended his definition to apply to other mass exterminations, including settler-Indian interactions on the North American frontier. Lemkin forsook the constrictive hermeneutics of legal formalism in favour of a broad understanding of genocide. At the heart of his concept was a concern with the preservation of unique cultural forms—the very …

Chomsky And Genocide, Adam Jones

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Noam Chomsky may justly be considered the most important public intellectual alive, and the most significant of the post-World War Two era. Despite his scholarly contributions to linguistics, at least three generations know him primarily for his political writings and activism, voicing a left-radical, humanist critique of US foreign policy and other subjects.

Given that a human-rights discourse is prominent in Chomsky’s political writing, and given that genocide-related controversies have sometimes swirled around him, it is worthwhile to consider the overall place and framing of genocide in his published output. The present paper undertakes such an inquiry. It employs a …

Visions Of Greater Serbia: Local Dynamics And The Prijedor Genocide, Damir Kovačević

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article examines the process of genocide in the Prijedor municipality during the Bosnian civil war of the 1990s. In this article, genocide is understood as a dynamic and extraordinary phenomenon, which requires a subnational, or meso-level analysis, to capture the complexities of the case and to account for the shortcomings in the previous literature focusing mostly on the national-level. By narrowing the analysis to a more in-depth level, two explanatory factors help us understand the escalation and radicalization of violence to genocide: structural control and agency collaboration. Specifically, overwhelming political authority, territorial dominance, and a highly coordinated effort between …